It was two weeks before an EcoCAR 2 progress report was due and the Colorado State Vehicle Innovation Team (CSU VIT) had to change their battery cooling method from air cooling to liquid cooling. Additionally, a full analysis was required in this report. It was up to team member Jon Miksch to step up to the challenge and help out his team.
It was this experience that Jon Miksch most remembers during his days as a member of the Energy Storage team at Colorado State University. He worked with his group members to pull out all the stops to redesign the case and perform the necessary CFD, weight distribution calculations, vibration analysis, assembly instructions, and impact FEA. It was two crazy weeks with high stress and sleepless nights.
Jon at Madame Tussaud’s during the Year One Competition in Los Angeles, CaliforniaThis hard work and experience propelled Miksch into the R&D department of Otterbox, where he currently works on prototype verification and product validation. “EcoCAR 2 was the first school-related project that I ever had a personal investment in,” said Miksch. He said it was exciting to see his ideas come to fruition through all of the hard work that was done.
During post-graduation interviews, his passion and excitement toward EcoCAR 2 was apparent and interviewers loved his enthusiasm. “After EcoCAR I have a much better understanding and appreciation for working closely with cross functional teams in a professional environment,” said Miksch. “It’s great to see so many people work together on a classic engineering project that can have a tangible impact.”
